Convicted pedophile Gary John Riddle goes to school ball

CONVICTED pedophile Gary John Riddle attended a teenage debutante ball at the weekend, outraging parents from Geelong’s Christian College and crime-victim advocates.

People from the close-knit private school were horrified on Saturday night to see the registered sex offender seated at a table with his brother school principal Daryl and extended family just metres from teenage girls, the Geelong Advertiser Reports.

Crime-victim advocates were also shocked at the bad taste shown by the school, calling for an investigation into how a convicted sexual predator was allowed into the year 11 event at the Arena.

Parents are now questioning whether the school breached its duty of care to the students.

Gary Riddle was charged with 14 counts of indecent assault against nine girls aged eight to 16, between 1971 and 1989, and was sentenced to five years in prison in 2002. The assaults took place in his role as a primary school teacher, sports coach and church youth group leader. In sentencing, Justice Alex Chernov said his actions were predatory.

The school yesterday confirmed Gary Riddle was seated at the event with wife Janine, a teacher at Christian College junior school, Daryl’s wife Debbie, also a teacher at the junior school, his brother Stephen Riddle, who is principal of the junior school and his wife Heather, an administration assistant at the school’s middle school campus.